This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Samsung Lions (36-38) vs Doosan Bears (42-32)
Wednesday, August 5th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Chae Heung Choi (6-2, 3.53 ERA) vs LHP Hui Kwan Yu (6-6, 5.61 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears have been one of the best teams in the KBO this season and currently sit in third place of the standings with a 42-32 record – they seem a lock to make the playoffs. The same can't be said about the Lions, as they've been moving around the .500 threshold all season long and currently own a 36-38 record after going 2-8 in their last 10 games. For the sake of comparison, the Bears have "only" lost six games during that stretch. The pitching matchup for this game will feature two lefties, as Hui Kwan Yu will get the ball for the Bears, and Chae Heung Choi will do the same thing for the Lions. The numbers favor Choi, who has a 3.53 ERA, but the Bears have been one of the best offensive teams in the 2020 KBO season. With that in mind, Yu could be in line for a strong performance even if his 5.61 ERA does not look very promising.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
7/17 8:54 PM IST - Flexen suffered a broken left foot in his last start Thursday, according to chosun.com. Flexen was struck by a batted ball in the first inning of Thursday's contest. Although he finished the frame, he was removed from the
Samsung Lions (36-38) vs Doosan Bears (42-32)
Wednesday, August 5th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Chae Heung Choi (6-2, 3.53 ERA) vs LHP Hui Kwan Yu (6-6, 5.61 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears have been one of the best teams in the KBO this season and currently sit in third place of the standings with a 42-32 record – they seem a lock to make the playoffs. The same can't be said about the Lions, as they've been moving around the .500 threshold all season long and currently own a 36-38 record after going 2-8 in their last 10 games. For the sake of comparison, the Bears have "only" lost six games during that stretch. The pitching matchup for this game will feature two lefties, as Hui Kwan Yu will get the ball for the Bears, and Chae Heung Choi will do the same thing for the Lions. The numbers favor Choi, who has a 3.53 ERA, but the Bears have been one of the best offensive teams in the 2020 KBO season. With that in mind, Yu could be in line for a strong performance even if his 5.61 ERA does not look very promising.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
7/17 8:54 PM IST - Flexen suffered a broken left foot in his last start Thursday, according to chosun.com. Flexen was struck by a batted ball in the first inning of Thursday's contest. Although he finished the frame, he was removed from the contest afterward and will now likely miss at least a month.
Yong Chan Lee - Out - Elbow
6/4 2:49 PM IST - Lee will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss at least a year, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. Lee has started regularly for Doosan since 2018, but his 2020 season will come to an early and abrupt end as a result of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen who will enter the rotation in Lee's place, as the Giants have only needed five starting pitchers to date.
Myung Joon Yoon - Out - Not Injury Related
7/17 3:11 PM IST - Yoon was removed from Doosan's roster Friday, Su Jin Park of Star News reports. The sixth-year pitcher will receive some time to recharge after surrendering five runs through his last 6.1 innings. Because of this recent drop in form, Yoon now has a 5.04 ERA over 26 games.
Samsung Lions
Jung Hyun Baek - Out - Elbow
7/23 1:53 AM IST - Samsung removed Baek from its active roster Wednesday due to a left elbow sprain, Hyun-Seok Jeong of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The southpaw picked up the injury coming out of his start Tuesday, during which he surrendered five runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings. Seong Hwan Yoon is expected to assume Baek's spot in the rotation.
Young Jin Choi - Out - Ankle
7/28 2:51 AM IST - Choi will miss about six weeks with an ankle injury, according to chosun.com. Choi was diagnosed with ligament damage after leaving Sunday's game with the injury, and he is now facing an extended absence. Choi has been one of the Lions' top hitters against lefties this season, but the team will need to turn elsewhere against southpaws until he is ready to return.
Yoon Dong Heo - Out - Not Injury Related
7/17 8:44 PM IST - Heo was removed from the Lions' roster on Friday, according to the team's official Twitter account. Heo started for the Lions for nearly the past two months, but with Ben Lively returning to action he will be bumped from the rotation -- and the roster altogether. The 19-year-old Heo held his own at the top level, so he should garner consideration next time the Lions need to add a starter to the roster.
Hyun Joon Im - Out - Not Injury Related
6/29 10:56 PM IST - Im was removed from the Lions' first-team roster Monday, according to the team's official Twitter account. Im was not scored upon in his first 15 appearances out of Samsung's bullpen, but he was tagged for three earned runs over his last five outings, so the team decided to give him a break. He will be eligible to rejoin Samsung's top team during the second week of July.
Sang Su Kim - 10-Day IL - Leg
8/3 10:13 PM IST - Kim was placed on the injured list Monday with a left leg injury, according to hankyung.com. Kim was slowed by the injury last week and apparently was not showing the progress the team hoped, so the Lions decided to give him extra time to heal and free up his roster spot. Ji Chan Kim is in line to serve as Samsung's top second baseman until Kim returns.
Heon Gon Kim - Out - Not Injury Related
7/3 2:41 PM IST - Kim was removed from the first-team roster Friday, according to the Lions' official Twitter page. Samsung will demote the 31-year-old for the second time this season, the first instance occurring June 5. Kim continued to struggle upon his return to the Lions, producing just a .630 OPS through 11 games. Samsung promoted Jun Seok Song to the first team ahead of Friday's game against LG.
Hak Ju Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
8/3 10:15 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Lions' roster Monday, according to hankyung.com. Lee has been stuck in an extended slump at the plate, so the Lions sent him to the minors to give him a chance to iron things out. Chances are he will rejoin Samsung's first team after spending the minimum 10 days in the Futures League.
Seong Ho Noh - Out - Elbow
8/2 11:57 PM IST - Noh was removed from the Lions' roster Sunday due to a sore elbow, according to chosun.com. It's not clear how long Noh will be sidelined, but he will miss at least a few games. He has been one of Samsung's most effective relievers this season, posting a 2.66 ERA over 25 appearances.
Daniel Palka - Out - Not Injury Related
7/29 2:04 PM IST - Palka has signed a contract with the Lions, Jee Ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. Samsung placed Tyler Saladino on waivers Wednesday and added the 28-year-old as his replacement. Palka hit a team-leading 27 home runs with the Chicago White Sox in 2018, but he opted to play overseas after making no appearances since September 2019. The outfielder will look to debut for Samsung sometime during August upon completing his mandatory quarantine period. Palka is likely to slide in at right field, starting alongside Ja Wook Koo and Hae Min Park.
Chan Do Park - Out - Elbow
8/3 12:14 AM IST - Park was removed from the Lions' roster Sunday due to a sore left elbow, according to chosun.com. It's not clear how long Park will be sidelined, but he will miss at least several games. Park has been a part-time player of late, so his absence should not have a notable effect on Samsung's lineup.
Doosan Bears Expected Lineup
SP - Hui Kwan Yu
1. Kun Woo Park
3. Jae Il Oh
4. Jae Hwan Kim
7. Se Hyuk Park
8. Jae Ho Kim
9. Soo Bin Jung
Samsung Lions Expected Lineup
SP - Chae Heung Choi
1. Hae Min Park
3. Ja Wook Koo
4. Won Seok Lee
6. Min Ho Kang
7. Ho Jae Kim
9. Ji Chan Kim
Top Picks
Jose Fernandez, Bears: Fernandez is one of the top candidates for the MVP Award this season, and the numbers back him up – 14 home runs, 58 RBI and a .361 average. He has been extremely successful against the Lions as well, hitting .429 (12-for-28) with two homers and eight RBI against them in 2020.
Soo Bin Jung, Bears: Jung might hit ninth in the Bears order, but he has been extremely successful against the Lions this season and that might be enough to give him a captaincy role in this matchup. He has gone 9-for-26 (.346) with three RBI against Samsung this season.
Dong Yeop Kim, Lions: Kim returned two games ago after a short stint sidelined, but he has been seeing the ball well – he has gone 5-for-10 with two doubles, one home run and two RBI in that stretch. He is also riding a three-game hitting streak.
Hui Kwan Yu, Bears: Yu's numbers are far from enticing, and he has allowed three or more runs in each of his last seven outings. However, the Lions have been struggling offensively all year long, and this could be the game where Yu finally turns things around.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Hui Kwan Yu
C – Se Hyuk Park
IF – Jose Fernandez (C)
IF – Ho Jae Kim
OF – Soo Bin Jung (VC)
OF – Dong Yeop Kim
OF – Jae Hwan Kim
OF – Kun Woo Park
OF – Sung Gon-Lee
